Cash processing system for automatically performing cash handling operations associated with banking services

ABSTRACT

A cash processing system is capable of reducing manual operation in placing and collecting from a cashing handling apparatus, such as ATM&#39;s, cash dispensing machines and so forth and thus can eliminate the occurrence of error or theft. The cash processing system includes a detachable cash safe, a cash processing apparatus that detachably receives the cash safe for automatically setting a commanded amount of cash therein, and a cash handling apparatus that detachably receives the cash safe, in which the commanded amount of cash is set, for performing services including a cash dispensing service.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No.07/813,733 dated Dec. 27, 1991, now pending, in which one of theassignees is the same as the assignee of the present application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a cash processing system thatautomatically performs cash handling operations associated with bankingservices and so forth. More specifically, the invention relates to acash processing system that performs automatic stacking of cash in asafe, manages the said safe, dispenses cash from the safe and holds cashthat the user has inadvertently not retrieved and other bankingassociated operations.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years, cash handling apparatuses such as automatic teller'smachines (ATM), cash dispensers and so forth have been widely used inbanking services and so forth. Such cash handling apparatuses include adetachable cash safe that feeds cash from the safe set therein to a cashstacker for dispensing the same. Filling of the cash safe is laborintensive work and requires very high security. Furthermore, because ofmanual operation, there is the possibility of errors or theft occurringduring placement of the cash in the cash safe. Therefore, there is theneed for the reduction of labor and the maintenance of a high level ofsecurity.

The conventional practice for placing cash in the cash safe for accessto the cash handling apparatus involves a responsible worker obtainingthe necessary amount of cash from a cashier, manually setting the cashin the cash safe and then performing a key input (through a key array ofthe cash handling apparatus) for the set amount of cash.

Similarly, for recovering cash, the said worker manually withdraws thecash from the cash safe, performs a counting operation, issues a receiptand returns the cash to the cashier.

Because of the nature of handling the cash, complete security and errorfree operation is desired. In the prior art, Japanese Unexamined PatentPublication 2-21393 proposes a cash safe incorporating a memory. Thecash safe is connected to a computer for inputting an amount of moneyset in the safe thus making the amount of cash in the safe definite toprevent theft or error from occurring. However, even in the proposedsystem, management of the safe is still performed by the responsibleperson having a key. In other words, the person possessing the key stillhas access to the cash in the safe thereby maintaining the possibilityof error or theft, occurring. Especially, in view of the current trendfor holiday banking services that require authorization of themanagement of the cash safe to a third party, such as security services,the possibility of the above problems occurring has increased.

On the other hand, from the viewpoint of service to customers, manualoperation of placing cash in the safe, and setting the cash safe in thecash handling apparatus can cause inconvenience during service time.Namely, when the safe and cash handling apparatus are empty, theapparatus becomes inoperative until additional cash is placed within thesame. Resetting the filled cash safe is performed by a process identicalto that set forth above. Such process is clearly time consuming and thuscan cause unnecessary inconvenience for the customer.

Also, when customer forgets retrieve the cash from the cash handlingapparatus, it is the current practice to restore the cash in theapparatus and place the unretrieved cash in cash storage withidentification of the customer. However, in current practice, checkingidentification is very cumbersome and time consuming work when thecustomer returns to retrieve the money.

In addition, it is also possible that the cash safe will be set to theincorrect cash handling apparatus. When the cash safe is set toincorrect cash handling apparatus a discrepancy between the existingcash in the safe and the recorded amount can result in confusion, and,when management of the cash safe is authorized to a third party, such assecurity services, incorrect placement of a safe in a cash handlingapparatus having different banking services is a strong possibility.

In view of the various inconveniences associated with the currentlyavailable cash processing systems in the banking services and so forth,improvement measures ensuring greater efficiency, higher security andenhanced services are clearly required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cashprocessing system that can reduce manual operation in placing andcollecting cash from a cash handling apparatus, such as ATM's, cashdispensing machines and so forth and thus can eliminate the possibilityof error or theft occurring.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cash processing systemthat can assure security even when cash placement and cash collectionare authorized to the third party, such as security services withouterror and/or theft occurring.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cash processing systemthat can prevent incorrect placement of funds in the cash handlingapparatus by enabling a check to take place to determine if the fundsare properly placed in the intended cash handling apparatus.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a cashprocessing system that enables efficient setting of cash in the cashhandling apparatus for reducing customer waiting time during restoringoperations during service hours.

A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a cashprocessing system that facilitates the return of cash inadvertently leftin the cash handling apparatus.

According to one aspect of the invention, a cash processing systemcomprises:

a detachable safe;

a cash processing apparatus that receives the detachable cash safe forautomatically placing a commanded amount of cash therein; and

a cash handling apparatus that receives the safe, in which the commandedamount of cash is placed for performing services including a cashdispensing service.

In the preferred construction, the cash processing apparatus comprises apersonnel accessible input and output unit, through which a command forcash processing is entered, and an automatic cash processing unit (alsotermed a setting (i.e., placing) and recovery unit) in response to thecommand from the personnel accessible input and output unit forautomatically placing cash in the cash safe. In this case, the personnelaccessible input and output unit may check the content of a person'scard and a secret code entered by the personnel for permitting entry forthe cash processing command only if the result of the check confirms theauthenticity of the personnel. Also, the cash handling unit may beresponsive to a cash recovering command from the personnel accessibleinput and output unit to perform cash recovery from the cash safe. Inaddition, the personnel accessible input and output unit may permitentry of kinds of and number of bills to be set in the cash safe, andthe cash processing unit may be responsive to the entered kinds of andamount of each kind of bill for placing the commanded number of bills inthe cash safe. In this case, the automatic cash processing unit (alsotermed a setting (i.e., placing) and recovery unit) may initiallyrecover funds remaining in the cash safe, if any, and subsequentlyperforms placement of the commanded amount of cash therefor. In thepreferred process, the automatic cash processing unit (also termed asetting (i.e., placing) and recovery unit) alternatively placesdifferent bills of given denommation when a plurality of bills are to beplaced in the cash safe.

It is also possible for the automatic cash processing unit (also termeda setting (i.e., placing) and recovery unit) to store the content ofcash processing in the personnel accessible input and output unit aftercompletion of the commanded cash processing. Furthermore, the personnelaccessible input and output unit preferably issues a receipt uponcompletion of cash processing of the cash processing unit.

In the preferred construction, the cash safe comprises a memory forstoring cash safe information, the cash processing apparatus reads outthe said safe information from the memory upon setting of the cash safetherein and performs a check to determine consistency. Also, the cashsafe may comprise a memory, and the cash processing apparatus writescash setting information in the memory upon placing cash in cash safe.The cash handling apparatus reads out the safe information from thememory upon setting of the cash safe therein and performs a check forconsistency.

The cash handling apparatus may read out the cash setting informationfrom the memory upon setting of the cash safe therein. The cash handlingapparatus and the cash processing apparatus may be connected to an upperlevel unit, and the cash processing apparatus may transfer cash settinginformation to the cash handling apparatus through the upper level unit.

According to another aspect, a cash processing system comprises:

a detachable cash safe;

a cash processing apparatus receives the detachable cash safe forautomatically placing a commanded amount of cash therein; and

a cash handling apparatus that receives the cash safe and is connectedto an upper level unit, in which the commanded amount of cash is placed,for performing services including a cash dispensing service, the cashhandling apparatus being provided with presence and absence of recoveryprocess information at the occurrence of incorrect setting of the cashsafe and enabling use of the mis-matched cash safe by a recovery processaccording to a command from the upper level unit.

A further aspect of the invention, a method for managing a cash safe ina cash handling apparatus includes:

a detachable cash safe;

a cash handling apparatus for receiving the cash safe and performingservices including a cash dispensing service,

wherein the managing method comprises the steps of:

storing available apparatus information in a memory in the cash safe;

reading out the available apparatus information in the memory uponsetting of cash safe in the cash handling apparatus and determiningwhether the set cash safe is available for use; and

inhibiting use of the cash safe if not available for use.

If the available apparatus information contains information for morethan one available apparatus, the apparatus information of the cashhandling apparatus, to which the cash safe is set, may be written in thememory of the set cash safe after a check is performed in the cashhandling apparatus. The available apparatus information may be read outfrom the memory of the cash safe when the cash counting checking processfor the cash safe is performed. The read out available apparatusinformation may be displayed on a display section of the cash safe. Thecash safe is connected to a cash processing apparatus and the readavailable apparatus information may be input to the cash processingapparatus. The cash processing apparatus may feed out the cash in thecash safe for counting.

According to a further aspect, a cash handling apparatus comprises:

a cash handling unit for performing services including a cash dispensingservice;

a detachable cash safe to be set in the cash handling unit for feedingout cash stored therein; the cash safe including an input section, acard reader, a door lock mechanism and a control section,

the input section accepts entry of a secret code and the card readerreceives personnel cards for reading the content therein; and

the door lock mechanism being controlled for unlocking depending uponthe result of a comparison of the secret code and the content of thepersonnel card.

The control section may include a memory and cash setting informationentered through the input section and stored in the memory.

According to yet a further aspect of the present invention, a cashhandling apparatus comprises:

a detachable cash safe;

a cash handling unit receiving the cash safe and dispensing cash fromthe cash safe; the cash handling unit includes a control section forcontrolling the cash handling unit;

a memory incorporated in the cash safe and storing safe information; and

the control section reading out the safe information from the memoryupon setting of the cash safe at the cash handling apparatus forchecking consistency.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a method for placingcash in a cash handling apparatus that includes a detachable cash safe,a cash handling unit including a stacker for a dispensing operation, thecash handling unit including a control section and placing cash from thecash safe to the stacker, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting set bill amount in the cash safe to the control section; and

controlling placing of cash from the cash safe to the stacker so that apredetermined minimum amount of cash is placed from the cash safe to thestacker.

A method for placing cash in a cash handling apparatus that includes adetachable cash safe, a cash handling unit including a stacker for adispensing operation; the cash handling unit includes a control sectionand places cash from the cash safe to the stacker, the method comprisingthe steps of:

inputting set bill amount in the cash safe to the control section; and

setting available services for the cash handling apparatus excluding acash dispensing service by the control section; and

directly placing the cash handling apparatus in a ready state forservice without performing the cash placing operation, and performing acash placing operation from the cash safe to the stacker during theready state.

The different kinds of bills may be placed in the cash safe inalternative fashion for given numbers, and placing of cash to thestackers is performed in an alternating fashion. The method may includea detachable cash safe, a cash handling unit including a stacker for adispensing operation, the cash handling unit includes a control sectionand places cash from the cash safe to the stacker, the method comprisingthe steps of:

inputting set bill amount in the cash safe to the control section; and

if only one denommation of bill is contained in the cash safe,performing a cash dispensing service directly from the cash safe withoutperforming a cash placing operation to the stacker.

A memory may be provided in the cash safe, and the method may comprisestoring bill amount set in the cash safe in the memory and reading outthe set bill amount stored in the memory by the control section.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a method for handlingfunds left in a cash handling apparatus that includes a left cashstorage section for storing the cash left in the cash handlingapparatus, a cash handling unit for dispensing cash from a cash stacker,and a control section for controlling the cash handling unit; the cashhandling unit transferring the left cash to the left cash storagesection, the method comprising the steps of:

storing left cash information associated with the left cash in a leftcash storage file in a memory upon occurrence of cash being left in thecash handling apparatus; and

displaying the left cash information stored in the memory upon returningthe left cash.

The method may further comprise a step of storing left cash returninginformation in a left cash return file in the memory upon return of theleft cash. Also, the method may further comprise outputting the leftcash return information and erasing the output left cash returninformation from the left cash return file.

The left cash storage section and memory may be provided in a cash safedetachably set in the cash handling apparatus. The method may furthercomprise a step of displaying the left cash information on a displaysection of the cash handling apparatus. Alternatively, the method mayfurther comprise displaying the left cash information on a displaysection or a display section connected to the cash safe.

In addition, the method may further comprise performing a search in theleft cash file in the memory in terms of part of the left cashinformation entered through an input section for accessing correspondingleft cash information. Also, the method may further comprise performinga search in the left cash return file in the memory in terms of part ofthe left return cash information entered through an input section foraccessing corresponding left cash information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be more fully understood from the detaileddescription given herebelow and from the accompanying drawings of thepreferred embodiment of the invention. Note that the specific embodimentis for the purpose of explanation and illustration only, and in no waylimits the present invention.

In the drawings:

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are schematic block diagrams showing general andoverview constructions of a cash processing system according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of the cashprocessing system according to the invention, showing one example of thelayout of a component apparatus forming the embodiment of the cashprocessing system;

FIG. 5A is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a personnelaccessible input and output unit to be employed in the embodiment of thecash processing system of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5B is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an automatic cashsetting and recovering or collecting apparatus to be employed in theshown embodiment of the cash processing system of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory illustration showing construction of anautomatic cash setting and recovering unit in the automatic cash settingand recovering apparatus of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front elevation of one example of a cash safe to be employedin the shown embodiment of the cash processing system of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example of a circuit in the cash safe ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of one embodiment of an automatic tellermachine (ATM) employed in the shown embodiment of the cash processingsystem of FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a bill or paper moneyrecycling unit employed in the shown embodiment of the cash processingsystem of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are flowcharts of one embodiment of a process for cashplacement, cash recovery and cash count checking performed in the shownembodiment of the cash processing system of FIG. 4;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a process for cash placementto be performed in the shown embodiment of the cash processing system ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a process for cashrecovery to be performed in the shown embodiment of the cash processingsystem of FIG. 4;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a process for normaltermination of processes in the shown embodiment of the cash processingsystem of FIG. 4;

FIG. 15 is an explanatory illustration showing one embodiment of aprocedure for entering input for a selecting process;

FIG. 16 is an explanatory and simplified illustration showing oneexample of cash placement;

FIG. 17 is an illustration showing a receipt to be issued during aprocess in the cash processing system of FIG. 4;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a process for recoveryof cash;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a process for cashcount checking;

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a process for setting asafe;

FIG. 21 is a schematic block diagram showing another embodiment of thecash handling apparatus that can be employed in the shown embodiment ofthe cash processing system of FIG. 4;

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a process for cashplacement to be performed in the cash handling apparatus of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of a billrecycling unit to be employed in the cash handling apparatus of FIG. 21;

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a process forregistering authorities in managing the cash handling apparatus of FIG.21;

FIGS. 25 to 28 are illustrations showing examples of information to beregistered for management to be entered through the process of FIG. 24;

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a process for setting asafe;

FIGS. 30 and 31 are schematic block diagrams showing another embodimentof cash placement for the cash handling apparatus according to thepresent invention;

FIGS. 32A and 32B are flowcharts showing another embodiment of cashplacement for the cash handling apparatus in the embodiment of FIGS. 30and 31;

FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a process for unlockingan electromagnetic door lock in the cash handling system of FIGS. 30 and31;

FIGS. 34A and 34B are flowcharts showing one embodiment of a process forthe entry of a number of set bills;

FIG. 35 is a schematic block diagram of another embodiment of a cashhandling apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a process forre-filling cash during operation;

FIGS. 37A, 37B, 38A and 38B are flowcharts showing one embodiment of asequence of a process associated with refilling cash during operation ofthe cash handling apparatus;

FIG. 39 is a schematic block diagram showing one example of theconventional cash handling apparatus;

FIG. 40 is a schematic block diagram of a further embodiment of a cashhandling apparatus incorporating a function for storing inadvertentlyleft cash;

FIGS. 41(A) and 41(B) showing a flowchart showing processes for storinginformation associated with left cash and for reproducing informationfor returning the left cash to the customer;

FIG. 42 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a process for handlinginadvertently left cash;

FIG. 43 is an explanatory illustration showing an example of informationassociated with left cash, to be stored;

FIGS. 44A and 44B are flowchart showing one embodiment of a process forreturning the left cash;

FIGS. 45 and 46 are explanatory illustrations showing a display forreturning left cash;

FIG. 47 is an explanatory illustration showing an example of left cashreturn information; and

FIG. 48 is an explanatory illustration showing another embodiment of adisplay for searching left cash information.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 to 3 briefly show the general and overview construction of acash processing system, according to the present invention. FIG. 1 showsthe fundamental construction of the cash processing system of theinvention. In FIG. 1, the cash processing system includes a cashprocessing apparatus 1 that sets (i.e., places) a demanded amount ofcash in a cash safe 2. The cash safe 2 is detachably installed in thecash processing apparatus 1 to provide the demanded amount of cash. Thecash safe 2 is removed from the cash processing apparatus 1 and carriedto a cash handling apparatus 3, which comprises an ATM, cash dispenserand so forth. The cash safe 2 is set in the cash handling apparatus 3for service to the customer.

The cash processing apparatus 1 is interfaced by responsible personnelthrough an input/output unit so that personnel may perform entry of thedemanded amount to be set in the cash safe 2 installed therein. The cashprocessing apparatus 1 is responsive to the entered demand andautomatically places the demanded amount in the cash safe. For thepurpose of security, the cash processing apparatus 1 may function toprompting a registered identification code and/or secret code foridentifying and confirming the authority of the personnel attempting toactivate a cash placing operation so that the said cash placingoperation is accessible only to authorized personnel. The input/outputunit may permit entry of the demanded amount of cash and also the demandof denommation and number of bills to be placed in the cash safe. Thecash processing apparatus 1 is responsive to said demand for thedenommation and number of bills for selectively placing the appropriatefunds.

The cash processing system, according to the present invention is alsooperative for recovering or collecting cash received in the cash safethrough the cash handling apparatus 3 during services. For recoveringthe cash received in the cash safe 2, the cash safe is removed from thecash handling apparatus and carried to the cash is processingapparatus 1. The cash processing apparatus 1, to which the carried cashsafe is installed, performs a count of the funds in the cash safe andrecovers the cash therefrom. The above-mentioned operation for placingcash is subsequently performed for additional services.

FIG. 2 shows another aspect of the invention, in which an upper leveladministrative apparatus 4 is provided in addition to the fundamentalconstruction of FIG. 1. The upper level administrative apparatus 4 isconnected to the cash processing apparatus 1 and the cash handlingapparatus 3. The upper level administrative apparatus 4 receivesinformation concerning placing cash in the cash safe 2 and transferringthe received information to the relevant cash handling apparatus 3. Insuch cases, the cash handling apparatus 3 may check the content of thecash safe 2 upon setting of the latter therein in view of thepreliminarily received cash placing information via the upper leveladministrative apparatus 4 so that it may accept setting of the cashsafe 2 only when the content of the cash safe 2 is coincident with theinformation provided from the upper administrative apparatus 4 and willreject the setting of the cash safe otherwise. When a discrepancy isfound during a check in the cash handling apparatus 3, the upper leveladministrative apparatus 4 is responsive to the cash handling apparatusfor providing instructions for a recovery process.

FIG. 3 shows a further aspect of the cash processing system according tothe present invention, in which the cash safe 2 is provided with amemory 231. The memory 231 is designed for storing informationconcerning the cash setting condition of the cash safe 2. Theinformation on the cash setting condition is written in the memory 231by the cash processing apparatus 1 during the cash setting operation. Onthe other hand, the information in the memory 231 is read out by thecash handling apparatus 3. Therefore, without requiring a manualinformation entry operation, the information concerning placing cash inthe cash safe 2 can be transferred to the cash handling apparatus 3.

Detailed construction of the preferred embodiment of the cash processingsystem according to the present invention will be discussed herebelowwith reference to FIG. 4 and subsequent drawings. In the followingdiscussion, the same or similar elements will be represented by thereference numerals throughout the disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows overall system construction of the preferred embodiment ofthe cash processing system according to the present invention. The cashprocessing apparatus 1 comprises a cash setting and recovery apparatus(i.e., automatic cash placing and recovery unit) for setting (i.e.,placing) cash in and recovering cash from the cash safe 2. The cashprocessing apparatus 1 is connected to a terminal controller 4a. On theother hand, the cash handling apparatus 3 comprises ATM's and cashdispensers (CD's) connected to the terminal controller 4a or a hostcomputer 4b.

Once the cash is set in the cash safe 2 by the cash processing apparatus1, the cash safe is carried to the cash handling apparatus 3 andinstalled in the cash handling apparatus for service. When service isterminated, the cash safe 2 is removed from the cash handling apparatus3 and carried to the cash processing apparatus 1 for recovering the cashand cash count check.

Transportation of the cash safe 2 is performed by responsible indigenouspersonnel and also by a third party, such as security services. Completesecurity is thus highly required.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are block diagrams of one embodiment of an automaticcash setting and recovering apparatus applicable for the preferredembodiment of the cash processing system according to the invention.FIG. 6 shows physical construction of the automatic cash setting andrecovering unit.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the automatic cash setting and recoveringapparatus comprises a personnel accessible input and output unit ormanaging unit 5 and an automatic cash setting and recovering unit 6.

The personnel accessible input and output unit 5 includes a card reader50, a card reader control section 51, a keyboard 52, a printer 53, amain system control section 54, a display section 55, and a secondary orlarge capacity memory device 56, such as hard disk drive and so forth.The personnel accessible input and output unit 5 is connectable with anadapter 57. The card reader 50 accepts the identification (ID) card ofresponsible personnel and reads the information stored therein. The cardreader control section 51 controls the operation of the card reader 50.The keyboard 52 is accessible by personnel for entry of a P.I.N.(Personal Identification Number) and for selection of a desired processto be performed. The painter 53 is used for printing slips and so forth.The main system control section 54 is connected to the terminalcontroller 4a and performs a control for the peripheral componentsincluding the card reader control section 51, the printer 53 and display55. The display 55 as controlled by the main system control section 54,displays various information. The secondary memory device 56 storesvarious data and so forth. The adapter 57 includes communicatingsections 571 and 572 and a main control section 570 for communicationbetween the input and output unit 5 and the cash safe 2.

On the other hand, the automatic cash setting and recovering unit 6includes a ten thousand yen bill feeding cassette 60 for setting tenthousand yen bills, a thousand yen bill feeding cassette 61 for settingone thousand yen bills, a bill discriminating section 62 fordiscriminating bills, a bill turning section 63 for turning thediscriminated bills so that the bills are arranged in relation to theirsurface sides, a reject box 64 for storing bills that are determined tobe defective, a half-wrapping device 65 for half-wrapping and storingrecovered bills, a bill drive section 66 for transferring the bills, acontrol section 67 for controlling the components set forth above, andan optical connector CN1 for electrically connecting the cash safe 2 andthe control section 67, as shown in FIG. 6. It should be noted, in FIG.6, black dots in the drive section 66 represent gates and white dots inthe drive section 66 represent feed rollers.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the control section 67 of the automatic cashsetting and recovering unit 6 includes a main control section 670, apower source section 671, a memory section 672, an LED display section673, an electromagnetic lock control section 674 for controllingelectromagnetic lock 69 of the automatic cash setting and a recoveringunit 6, a sensor control section 675 for controlling sensors 68 providedin the drive section 66 and so forth, a key input section 676, a drivecontrol section 677 for controlling the drive section 66, acommunicating section 678a for communication with the main systemcontrol section 54 of the personnel accessible input and output unit 5,a communicating section 678b for communication with the cash safe 2, anda discrimination control section 679 for controlling the discriminatingsection 62.

As shown in FIG. 6, the cash safe 2 includes a personnel safe 20 forstoring cash, a rejected bill safe 21 for storing the rejected bills, aleft cash storage safe 22 for storing cash inadvertently left by thecustomer in the cash handling apparatus, and a control section 23, whichwill be discussed later.

The operation of the automatic cash setting and recovering unit 6constructed as set forth above will be discussed herebelow. When acommand for feeding cash is entered through the personnel accessibleinput and output unit 5, the desired bills are fed from the ten thousandyen bill cassette 60 and the one thousand yen bill cassette 61 under thecontrol of the main control section 670. The fed bills are transferredto the discriminating section 62. The discriminating section 62 performsa discrimination operation 62 for each bill and feeds the accepted billsto the personnel safe 20 of the cash safe 2 through the bill turningsection 63.

On the other hand, when cash recovery is commanded, the bills are fedfrom the personnel safe 20 of the cash safe 2 under the control of themain control section 670. The fed bills are discriminated by thediscriminating section and fed to the half-wrapping section 65 throughthe bill turning section 63, except for the rejected bills. Then, thehalf-wrapped bills are stored in the half-wrapping section 65.

When a cash count check is commanded, the bills are fed from thepersonnel safe 20 of the cash safe 2 under the control of the maincontrol section 670. The discriminating section 62 performs adiscrimination operation for the fed bills to reject defective bills andfeeds the accepted bills to the personnel safe 20 of the cash safe viathe bill turning section 63.

FIG. 7 shows the front elevation of one embodiment of the cash safe 2applicable to the preferred embodiment of the cash processing systemaccording to the invention. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the circuit ofthe cash safe 2. As shown in FIG. 7, the cash safe 2 includes a rejectdoor 24 for the rejected bill safe 21, a safe door 25 for the personnelsafe 20, the card reader 26 for reading information from the personnelidentification card, a display section 27 and a key input section 28.These components are arranged on the front face of the cash safe 2.

As shown in FIG. 8, the control section 23 of the cash safe 2 includes amain control section 230, a memory section 231 for storing safeinformation, such as available ATMID and so forth, a clock 232, acommunicating section 233 for communication with the automatic cashsetting and recovering unit 6 or with the cash handling apparatus 3, apower source section 234, a buzzer 235, a door electromagnetic lock 236for locking the safe door 25 and a reject door 24, a sensor detectingsection 237 for detecting the opening of the safe door 25 and the rejectdoor 24 and the cash availability condition of the personnel safe 20,and a card reader control section 238 for controlling the card reader26.

FIG. 9 shows construction of one embodiment of the ATM applicable to thepreferred embodiment of the cash processing system according to theinvention. FIG. 10 shows one embodiment of a bill recycle unit to beemployed in the preferred embodiment of the cash processing system ofthe invention.

In FIG. 9, the reference numeral 30 denotes a bill recycle unit (BRU),which will be discussed later with reference to FIG. 10, 31 denotes amaintenance operation section that includes a liquid crystal display fordisplaying machine condition, and a key input section for a manual entryoperation, and 32 denotes a reader/writer section including areader/writer for reading from and writing in information on a card ofthe customer, an emboss reader for reading embossed information on thecard of the customer, a printer for printing receipt/journal, a stripereader/writer for reading from and writing in magnetic strips on abankbook of the customer, and a bankbook printer. The reference numeral33 denotes a customer accessible operating section that includes a colordisplay for displaying operation guidance for the customer and so forth,a touch keyboard for entry of a customer's P.I.N., kinds of services,amounts on services and so forth, 34 denotes a system control sectionconnected to a computer center (or the terminal controller) forcontrolling the operations of the bill recycle unit 30, the maintenanceoperation section 31, the reader/writer section 32 and the customeraccessible operating section 33.

Since the operation of ATM is Per se well known in the art, a detailedexplanation of the operation is not necessary for understanding thepresent invention. Therefore, an explanation of the operation of an ATMis omitted.

As shown in FIG. 10, the bill recycle unit 30 includes a cash stacker301a for ten thousand yen bills a cash stacker 301b for five thousandyen bills and a cash stacker 301c for one thousand yen bills, to whichthe bills are supplied from the personnel safe 20 of the cash safe. Thebill recycle unit 30 also includes a bill discriminating section 302, adispensing cash pool section 303, which temporarily stores dispensingcash, a receiving cash pool 304 for storing returned cash, a cashwithdrawing and inserting section 305 serving as a cash inlet andoutlet, a cash transferring section 306, a bill turning section 307 forturning bills and arranging stacks of bills by directing surface sides,a dummy card stacker 308 for issuing a dummy card and a bill recyclecontrol section 300 for controlling the above-mentioned components. Thebill recycle unit 30 further includes an optical connector CN2 forcommunication between the communicating section 233 of the controlsection 23 of the cash safe and the control section 300. It should benoted that, in the transferring section 306, the black dots representgates and white dots represent feed rollers.

In the operation of the bill recycle unit 30, the bills are fed out fromthe personnel safe 20 of the cash safe 2 and transferred to thediscriminating section 302 through the transferring section 306. Afterdiscrimination in the discriminating section 302, the bills are stackedin respective cash stackers 301, 301b and 301c depending upon thedenommation thereof. The rejected bills are temporarily stored in thereceiving cash pool 304 and subsequently ejected to the withdrawing andinserting section 305.

Operation of the above-mentioned construction of the preferredembodiment of the cash processing system according to the invention willbe discussed herebelow with reference to FIGS. 11 to 17. FIG. 11 is aflowchart of one embodiment of a processing for cash setting, cashrecovery and cash count checking processes to be performed in the shownembodiment of the cash processing system, FIG. 12 is a flowchart of oneembodiment of a process for cash placing in a personnel safe to beperformed in the shown embodiment of the cash processing system, FIG. 13is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a process for cash recovery tobe performed in the shown embodiment of the cash processing system, FIG.14 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a process for normaltermination of processes in the shown embodiment of the cash processingsystem, FIG. 15 is an explanatory illustration showing one embodiment ofa procedure for entering input for selecting process, FIG. 16 is anexplanatory and simplified illustration showing one example of placingcash, and FIG. 17 is an illustration showing a receipt to be issuedduring a process in the cash processing system.

In the process of FIG. 11, responsible personnel insert the personnelcard storing personnel identification (ID) code, P.I.N. and so forth tothe card reader 50 and enter the P.I.N. through the keyboard 52 in theinitial processes S1 of cash placing, recovery and cash count checking.To facilitate the above-mentioned initial process, operational guidanceas illustrated in FIG. 15 is displayed on the display section 55 of thepersonnel accessible input and output unit 5. The main system controlsection 54 checks the read content of the personnel card and the P.I.N.for confirming authority of the personnel gaining access.

When the authority of the personnel is confirmed as a result of the saidcheck, the third, i.e. lowermost guidance of FIG. 15 is displayed on thedisplay section 55 for prompting entry of a selection command for adesired process. Personnel then enter the personnel safe (or cash safe)identification (ID), the available cash handling apparatus (ID ATM-ID)and selection command for cash supply/recovery/check/dealing history, orsafe information.

At this step, if the cash supply process (entry of key PF1) is complete,the process for setting of personnel safe as shown in FIG. 12 isperformed at S2 of FIG. 11. Initially, the display section 55 displaysthe commanded process, i.e. setting of safe. Then, the cash processingapparatus is put in stand-by status waiting for the setting of the cashsafe to the automatic cash setting and recovering unit 6. The stand-bystate of the cash processing apparatus is maintained until the cash safe2 is set in the automatic cash setting and recovering unit 6. The maincontrol section 670 of the automatic cash setting and recovering unit 6monitors the state with the output of the sensor 68. Once the safe 2 isset in the automatic cash setting and recovering unit 6, the maincontrol section 670 is responsive to the output of the sensor 68 to readout the safe information, e.g. cash safe ID and so forth, stored in thememory section 231 of the cash safe through the communication section678b. The read out safe information is transferred to the main systemcontrol section 54 of the personnel accessible input and output unit 5to check if the cash safe ID read from the cash safe is coincident withthat entered by the personnel.

When the cash safe ID's are coincident with each other, the process goesto END, and otherwise un-matching of the cash safe is displayed on thedisplay section 55 requiring the cash safe to be set in the automaticcash setting and recovery unit 6. Then, the cash processing apparatus isput on stand-by status to wait for the removal of the unmatched safe.When the main control section 670 of the automatic cash setting andrecovering unit 6 detects removal of the unmatched cash safe through theoutput of the sensor 68, the main system control system 54 of thepersonnel accessible input and output unit 5 again displays the demandfor setting the cash safe on the display section 55. Then, the cashprocessing apparatus 1 is put on stand-by status.

When matching of the cash safe ID's is confirmed through the process ofFIG. 12, the main system control section 54 of the personnel accessibleinput and output unit 5 informs the personnel entry of the number ofbills to be supplied at S3 of FIG. 11. Then, the personnel enters thenecessary number of bills through the keyboard 52. In response to entryof the number of the bills, the main system control section 54 of thepersonnel accessible input and output unit 5 performs a check for thetotal number of the demanded number of bills to be supplied against theknown capacity of the personnel safe 20, and thus for the input data atS4 of FIG. 11. When the demanded number of bills is in excess of thecapacity of the personnel safe 20, the input data is rendered no good(NG) and then input error is displayed on the display section 55requiring re-entry of the demanded number of bills to be supplied.

When entry of the input data is completed, the main control section 670of the automatic cash setting and recovering unit 6 checks with thecontrol section 23 of the cash safe 2 whether the cash safe 2 is emptyor not. When the control section 23 of the cash safe detects that thepersonnel safe is empty, the process goes directly to S6 of FIG. 11. Onthe other hand, when the personnel safe 20 is not empty, the process isadvanced to S5 of FIG. 11.

At S5 of FIG. 11, when cash is left in the personnel safe 20, the mainsystem control section 54 displays the available number of bills forrecovery and then prompts to the personnel to enter the number of billsto be recovered.

In response to entry of the number of bills to be recovered, the maincontrol section 670 of the automatic cash setting and recovering unit 6enters the cash recovery process of FIG. 13.

Namely, the main control section 670 checks the demanded number of billsto be recovered. When the recovery of all bills is demanded, bills arefed out from the personnel safe 20 to the discriminating section 62 fordiscrimination and stores the bills in the half-wrapping section 65.This process is repeated until the personnel safe 20 becomes empty sothat all cash in the personnel safe can be recovered.

On the other hand, when the number of bills to be recovered isspecified, the bills are fed out from the personnel safe 20 of the cashsafe 2 so that the demanded number of different denommation of bills canbe collected. The fed out bills are fed to the discriminating sectionfor discrimination and then stored in the half-wrapping section 65. Thisprocess is repeated until the number of bills recovered reaches thedemanded specific number.

The main system control section 54 of the personnel accessible input andoutput unit 5 checks termination of the cash recovering process of themain control section 670 of the automatic cash setting and recoveringunit 6. When failure is detected, then the fact is displayed on thedisplay section 55, and then process is transferred to a resettingprocess. When the recovered number of bills does not reach the demandednumber, display on the display section 55 indicates that the recoveryhas failed and the process is terminated. On the other hand, whenrecovery process is successful, the process is terminated directly.

At S6 of FIG. 11, the main control section 670 of the automatic cashsetting and recovering unit 6 performs an operation for setting orsupplying cash to the personnel safe 20 of the cash safe 2 in responseto the command from the main system control section 54. A settingoperation is performed by feeding the bills from the ten thousand billcassette 60 and the thousand bill cassette 61 through the discriminatingsection 62 and then storing in the personnel safe 20 of the cash safe.At this time, as shown in FIG. 16, every one hundred of the ten thousandyen bills and the one thousand yen bills are fed alternately. Thiscontributes to uniform feeding of a variety of bills and thus shortensthe required period for setting the cash.

The main system control section 54 of the personnel accessible input andoutput unit 5 checks for information indicative of completion of thecash setting operation from the main control section 670 of theautomatic cash setting and recovering unit 6.

At S7 of FIG. 11, when the setting of cash is successfully completed,the main system control section 54 of the personnel accessible input andoutput unit 5 performs edition of cash setting information, such asnumber of each kind of bills set in the personnel safe 20, and the ID ofthe automatic cash setting and recovering unit, the ID of the personneland so forth, and writes in such cash setting information to the memorysection 231 of the cash safe 2 through the automatic cash setting andrecovering unit 6.

Then, the main system control section 54 of the personnel accessibleinput and output unit 5 performs edition for process data, such as setnumber of bills for each kind of bill, the ID of the cash safe, the IDof the automatic cash setting and recovering unit, processed date andtime, the ID of the personnel and so forth, and writes in and saves thesame in the secondary memory device 56.

Furthermore, the main system control section 54 transmits the processdata to the host computer 4b so that the host computer 4b mayadministrate or manage the history. In addition, the main system controlsection 54 drives the printer 53 for preparing a print out of theprocess information and for issuing a receipt, as shown in FIG. 17.Then, the main system control section 54 drives the display section 55to indicate successful termination of the demanded process and contentof the completed process to terminate said process.

At S8 of FIG. 11, when a setting operation is abnormally terminated, themain system control section 54 displays the type of failure on thedisplay section 55 and transfers the process to the resetting process.

As set forth above, automatic placing of the cash in the cash safe 2 canbe performed.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a process for cash recoveryand FIG. 19 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a process for cash countchecking of the cash in the cash safe.

If the cash recovering process is commanded at S1 of FIG. 11, theprocess illustrated in FIG. 18 is performed.

Namely, the main system control section 54 of the personnel accessibleinput and output unit 5 initially performs the cash safe setting processof FIG. 12. Subsequently, the personnel is prompted to enter the numberof bills to be recovered. In response to entry of the demanded number ofbills to be recovered by the personnel through the keyboard 52, the mainsystem control section 54 of the personnel accessible input and outputunit 5 performs a check for the demanded number of bills to be recoveredagainst the number of bills existing in the cash safe 2. When thedemanded number of bills is greater than that actually in the cash safe,the entered input data is judged as NG data and then NG input data isindicated on the display section 55. In such cases, the personnel isprompted to re-enter the demanded number of bills to be recovered. Whennormal input data is entered, cash recovering process of FIG. 13 isperformed and the subsequent normal termination process of FIG. 13 isperformed. Then, the cash recovering process is terminated.

On the other hand, when cash count checking of the cash in the cash safeis commanded at S1 of FIG. 11, then the process for cash count checkingof FIG. 19 is performed.

In the process of FIG. 19, the main system control section 54 of thepersonnel accessible input and output unit 5 initially performs the safesetting process of FIG. 12. Then, the main system control section 54commands cash count checking for the main control section 670 of theautomatic cash setting and recovering unit 6. The main control section670 is responsive to this command for feeding the bills from thepersonnel safe 20 of the cash safe 2 and transferring to thediscriminating section 62. After discrimination in the discriminatingsection 62, the bills are returned to the personnel safe 20 of the cashsafe 2 through the bill turning section 63. During this process, thenumber of bills for each denommation is counted.

The main system control section 54 of the personnel accessible input andoutput unit 5 checks completion of the cash count checking process ofthe automatic cash setting and recovering unit 6. When failure in thecash count checking is detected, the failure is indicated on the displaysection 55 and the process is transferred to the resetting process. Onthe other hand, when the process is successful, the process isterminated directly.

FIG. 20 shows one embodiment of the process for setting the cash safe 2for the ATM.

At S11 of FIG. 20, the control section 34 of the ATM displays a demandfor setting of the cash safe 2 on the liquid crystal display of themaintenance operation section 31. Then, an ATM is placed in stand-bystatus wait for setting of the cash safe.

At S12, once the cash safe 2 is set in the bill recycle unit 30 of theATM, the control section 300 detects the same and reads out informationstored in the memory section 231 of the control section 23 of the cashsafe 2 through the optical connector CN2. The read out information isthen transferred to the control section 34.

The control section 34 is responsive to the information from the controlsection 300 of the bill recycle unit 30 by comparing the availablemachine ID contained in the read out information with the ATM-ID ofitself to check if the ID's match each other. Also, the control sectioncompares the cash safe ID in the read out information with the availablecash safe ID stored in the control section 34 to check if the cash safeset therein is available for use.

At S13, when both IDs' match, the control section transmits set OKindication and process information, e.g. information about the cash safe2, ATMID, the personnel ID performing the process, process date and timeand so forth) to the terminal controller 4a or the host computer 4b sothat the host computer may perform management of the history. Then, theprocess is advanced to S16 of FIG. 20.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the IDs' do not match eachother and if there is no recovery process, the process is advanced toS14 of FIG. 20, if there is a recovery process, the control section 34transmits information indicating mis-matching of the cash safe (casesafe setting NG) and requests instructions concerning whether the setcash safe is available for use with the cash safe ID, ATM-ID and soforth from the terminal controller 4a or the host computer 4b.

The terminal controller 4a or the host computer 4b, or, in thealternative, the ATM per se determines whether the cash safe now set inan ATM can be used or not. Instructions either permitting or inhibitinguse of the set cash safe are issued by the terminal controller 4a or thehost computer 4b.

In case that the set cash safe 2 can be used, the control section 34commands initiation of operation for an ATM and simultaneously theinformation associated with the un-matching (NG) cash safe istransmitted to the automatic cash setting and recovering unit 6 of thecash processing apparatus 1 and saves the fact that the unmatched cashsafe is set and used in an ATM as historic data. Also, updating of themanagement information associated with the cash safe intended to be setin the ATM but actually did not, is performed in the secondary memorydevice 56 so that said cash safe can be used in another ATM.

At S16, the control section 34 displays cash matching NG and demand forchanging the set cash safe on the liquid crystal display of themaintenance operation section 31. Then, an ATM is placed in a stand-bystatus to wait for the removable of the un-matching cash safe. When thecontrol section 300 of the bill recycle unit 30 detects removal of theun-matching cash safe, the process returns to S11.

At S15, the control section 34 checks whether the information read outfrom the set cash safe includes data indicative of the bill number inthe cash safe. When the bill number data is present, the process isadvanced to S17. On the other hand, when the information read from thecash safe 2 does not contain the bill number data, the control section34 communicates with the terminal controller 4a or the host computer 4b,or, as an alternative, with the automatic cash setting and recoveringunit 6 of the cash processing apparatus 1 to obtain data indicative ofthe number of bills within the cash safe. After this, the process isadvanced to S17.

At S17, the control section 3 performs a bill supply process in responseto the completion of setting of the cash safe. Namely, in the process,the bill recycle unit 30 supplies respective kinds of bills torespective bill stackers 301a, 301b and 301c. Upon completion ofsupplying the stackers, the ATM is ready to provide service to thecustomers.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 14, since a variety of bills are set inthe cash safe in an alternating fashion, each of the stackers 301a, 301band 301c can be supplied in a substantially uniform manner. Thiscontributes to shortening the time required to fill the stackers. Thisis advantageous because the ATM is ready earlier.

The present invention is not specified in the embodiment set forth abovebut can be implemented in an alternating fashion.

In FIG. 17, the information of the intended cash safe 2 to be set in theATM 3 is preliminarily given to the ATM 3 through the automatic cashsetting and recovering unit 6 of the cash processing apparatus 1 (orthrough the terminal controller 4a or the host computer 4b). When thecash safe 2 is set to the ATM 3, it becomes possible to check whetherthe set cash safe 2 is the intended cash safe by comparing theinformation read out from the cash safe 2 with the previously providedinformation.

In a further alternative, as shown in FIG. 1, the cash processingapparatus 1 can be designed as an off-line unit and the memory in thecash safe is not always required. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the cashprocessing apparatus 1 can be designed as an on-line unit and the memoryin the cash safe 2 can be neglected. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3,the cash processing apparatus 1 can be of off-line use and the memory inthe cash safe is provided. Further variation in the arrangement of thecomponents in practical implementation should be obvious to thoseskilled in the art with the teaching of the present invention.

In addition, though the forementioned detailed discussion has been givenas an example, in which the cash handling apparatus comprises an ATM,the invention is equally applicable when the cash handling apparatuscomprises cash dispensers.

One embodiment of the cash handling apparatus applicable to the shownembodiment of the cash processing system according to the presentinvention will be discussed blow with reference to FIGS. 21 to 29.

FIG. 21 shows a general construction of the cash handling apparatus 3incorporated in the preferred embodiment of the cash processing system,according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the cashhandling apparatus 3 includes the installed detachable cash safe 2. Thecash handling apparatus 3 is designed for among other servicesdispensing cash. As in the former embodiment, the cash safe 2 includes amemory section 231 for storing information including the availableapparatus to which the cash safe is intended to be installed. When thecash safe 2 is set in the cash handling apparatus 3, the cash handlingapparatus 3 performs a check to determine whether the set cash safe 2 isavailable for use or not. Depending upon the result of the check, thecash handling apparatus 3 permits or inhibits the use of the set cashsafe.

Namely, as shown in FIG. 22, the information concerning the availableapparatus in the memory section 231 of the cash safe 2 is read out bythe cash handling apparatus 3 upon setting of the cash safe therein.Then, the cash handling apparatus 3 determines whether the set cash safeis available for use. If so, use of the cash safe 2 for services ispermitted, and use otherwise is inhibited.

In the shown embodiment, as shown in FIG. 23, the cash handlingapparatus 3 includes a unit control section 300. The unit controlsection 300 includes a main control section 310, a memory section 311, acommunicating section 312 for communication with the main controlsection 34 of the cash handling apparatus 3, a communicating section 313for communication with the communicating section 233 of the controlsection 23 of the cash safe 2, a discrimination control section 314 forcontrolling the operation of the discriminating section 302, a drivecontrol section 315 for controlling the operation of the transferringsection 306, a sensor control section 316 for controlling sensors 306ain the transferring section 306 and so forth, an electromagnetic lockcontrol section 317 for controlling lock of said electromagnetic lock308 in the bill recycle unit 30, a LED display section 309 and a powersource section 318.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart of one embodiment of the process for registeringavailable apparatus information, and FIGS. 25 to 28 show possible datain the available apparatus information to be registered.

In the process of FIG. 24, the user initially inserts the personnel cardcontaining the personnel ID, the P.I.N. and so forth, to a card reader50, and enter the P.I.N. through the keyboard 52, according to theguidance displayed on the display section 55. The main system controlsection 54 of the personnel accessible input and output unit 5 of thecash processing system 1 checks the information read from the personnelcard and the P.I.N. entered through the keyboard.

When approval of the accessing personnel is confirmed, and the usercommands a registering process for the available apparatus for thememory 231 of the cash safe 2, a registration utility of FIG. 24 istriggered for process.

The user sets the cash safe 2 to the adapter 57 to the automatic cashsetting and recovering unit 6. Thereafter, through the keyboard 52, aregistering bank number is input. The entered registering bank number isdisplayed on the display section 55 for confirmation. Through a similarprocess, the registering branch number, the registering apparatus numberand so forth are input.

As shown in FIG. 25, it is possible to set a plurality of availableapparatuses. Also, as shown in FIG. 26, it is possible to performsetting by leaving the apparatus number "free" or, as an alternative, byleaving the branch number and the apparatus number "free". As a furtheralternative, it is possible to set the bank number, branch number andthe apparatus number "free". The number set as "free" is not subject tocheck matching of the cash handling apparatus and the cash safe.

After completing the entry of numbers to be registered, the main systemcontrol section 54 writes the information in the memory 231 of the cashsafe 2 as available apparatus information.

The cash safe for which registration for the available apparatusinformation is performed, is filled with cash. As in the prior art, theplacing of cash can be done manually. However, it is preferable to placethe cash by the automatic cash placing and recovering unit 6 through theprocess set forth above.

The cash safe 2 is then set or installed to the cash handling apparatus3 in the manner set forth above. FIG. 29 shows the process of installingthe cash safe to the cash handling apparatus 3, i.e. ATM.

At S21 of FIG. 29, initially, the control section 34 of the ATM prompts,on the liquid crystal display of the maintenance operation section 31,entry of selection command for the desired process. At S22, when settingof the cash safe 2 is selected through the key input section of themaintenance operating section 31, the type of process, i.e. safesetting, is displayed on the liquid crystal display and the ATM isplaced on stand-by for setting the cash safe 2.

At S23, when the cash safe 2 is set in the bill recycle unit 30 of theATM, the bill recycle control section 300 detects setting of the cashsafe 2 and reads out the information stored in the memory 231 of thecontrol section 23 of the cash safe 2 through the optical connector CN2.Then, the read information is transferred to the control section 34.

The control section 34 is responsive to the information from the billrecycle control section 300 to compare the available apparatusinformation with the information of the ATM itself to check if theinformation matches each other.

When the information, as checked, matches, the control section transmitsa set OK indication and the process information, e.g. information on thecash safe 2, ATMID, the user ID who performs the process, process dateand time and so forth) to the terminal controller 4a or the hostcomputer 4b so that the host computer may perform management of thehistory. In the case that the information contained in the memorysection 231 of the cash safe, has a free item, the information isupdated with the information of the apparatus in which the cash safe isused at S24.

At S25, on the other hand, when judgement is made that the informationdoes not match each other, the control section 34 displays cash matchingNG and demand for changing of the set cash safe on the liquid crystaldisplay of the maintenance operation section 31. Then, ATM is placed onstand-by for waiting removal of the unmatched cash safe. When thecontrol section 300 of the bill recycle unit 30 detects removal of theun-matched cash safe, the process returns to S23.

The cash recovery and cash count checking can be processed substantiallyas discussed hereabove. However, it is also possible to perform cashrecovery and cash count check simultaneously. In such cases, the mainsystem control section 54 of the personnel accessible input and outputunit 5 is responsive to the recovery/cash count check command fortransferring the command to the main control section 670 of theautomatic cash setting and recovering unit 6. The main control section670 reads out the available apparatus information and transfers the readinformation to the main system control section 54 for display on thedisplay section 55 for confirmation. After entry of confirmation by theuser, the bills in the personnel safe 20 of the cash safe 2 are fed outand transferred to the discriminating section 62. After discriminationin the discriminating section 62, the bills are fed to the half-wrappingsection 65 via the bill turning section 63. Counting of the fed billsand half-wrapping of the bills are performed by the half-wrappingsection 65. The half-wrapped bills are stored in the half-wrappingsection 65. At the same time, the counted value indicative of the numberof bills recovered from the cash safe 2 is transferred to the mainsystem control section 54. The main system control section 54 displaysthe counted value on the display section 55. Also, the main systemcontrol section 54 writes in the available apparatus information andcounted value to the secondary memory device 56 for saving. Furthermore,if necessary, the same information is transmitted to the host computer4b.

Although the foregoing is directed to the automatic cash recovery andcash count checking to be performed by the preferred embodiment of thecash processing system of the invention, the cash count checking can, ofcourse, be done by manual operation. In this case, the cash safe 2 isinitially connected to the adapter 57 so that the main system controlsection 54 can read out the available apparatus information from thememory 231 of the cash safe 2. Then, the main system control section 54drives the display section 55 for displaying the read out informationfor confirmation. After confirmation, the user withdraws the cash fromthe personnel safe 20 of the cash safe and performs a counting operationby another cash counting machine or so forth. After completing thecounting, the counted value is entered via the keyboard.

In an alternative embodiment, the available apparatus information may beinput through the key input section 28 of the cash safe 2 without usingthe cash processing apparatus 1. In such cases, the available apparatusinformation set in the memory 231 of the cash safe 2 may be read out anddisplayed on the display section 27 of the cash safe through a manualkey entry operation on the key input section 28 upon cash countchecking.

FIGS. 30 to 34 show one embodiment of the cash safe applicable for thepreferred embodiment of the cash processing system according to thepresent invention. In FIG. 30, the shown embodiment of the cash safe 2is featured having a capability of maintaining high security. The cashsafe 2 is used by installing in the bill recycle unit 30 of the cashhandling apparatus 3, which can deal with dispensing of the cash. Thebill recycle unit 30 is controlled by the control section 34. The cashsafe 2 includes the key input section 28, the card reader 26, a doorlock mechanism 236 and the control section 23. Through the key inputsection 28, the P.I.N. is entered. The entered P.I.N. is compared withthe content of the personnel card read by the card reader 26 so that thedoor lock mechanism 236 is controlled for locking and unlocking.

FIG. 31 shows another embodiment in which the memory 231 is provided inthe cash safe. Since construction of the cash safe has already beendiscussed, it may not be necessary to give further discussion.

Operation of the embodiment will be discussed with reference to FIGS. 32to 34, in which FIG. 32 shows another embodiment of a process of cashsetting, FIG. 33 shows one embodiment of a process for unlocking theelectromagnetic door lock and FIG. 34 shows one embodiment of theprocess for setting cash for the cash safe.

In the process of FIG. 32, the user inserts the personnel card storingpersonnel identification (ID) code, P.I.N. and so forth to the cardreader 26 and enters the P.I.N. through the key input section 28 in theinitial process S31. The main control section 230 checks the readcontent of the personnel card and the P.I.N. for confirming theauthority of the personnel accessing.

At S32, if the results of checking cannot confirm authority of thepersonnel, card NG or P.I.N. NG is displayed on the display section 27.Subsequently, when a re-entry process is commanded through the key inputsection 28, the process returns to S31; otherwise the process goes toabnormal termination.

At S33, when the authority of the user (personal) is confirmed as theresult of check, the user then enters selection of the desired process,e.g. cash setting or cash recovering.

At S34, if the cash setting process is selected, an electromagnetic doorlock process of FIG. 33 is triggered. At first, the main control section230 sets an electromagnetic door lock open timer and unlocks theelectromagnetic door lock 236. By this, the door is enabled to open bymeans of a mechanical key so as to permit access to the inside of thecash safe 2.

Then the main control section 230 is placed on stand-by for waiting timeof the electromagnetic door lock open timer. At a predetermined time,e.g. 10 seconds before a predetermined set period in the electromagneticdoor lock open timer expires, a buzzer 235 is activated for alertingtime-up for the personnel.

On the other hand, when the door is not opened and time-up occurs, themain control section 230 operates the electromagnetic door lock 236 toterminate the process.

Conversely, when door opening is detected by a door opening detectingsection 237, the main control section 230 performs a counter process,clears the number of bills in the cash safe stored in the memory section231 and terminates the process. By opening the door, the user is able toaccess the personnel safe 20 for recovering the cash therein.

Then, the main control section 230 is placed on stand-by for waiting forthe setting of the cash in the cash safe 2. Once the user sets the cashin the personnel safe 20 of the cash safe and closes the door, the maincontrol section 230 activates the electromagnetic door lock 236 to lock.In setting of the cash in the personnel safe 20, the variety of bills,e.g. ten thousand yen bills and one thousand yen bills, are set in thepersonnel safe in alternating fashion for a predetermined quantity, e.g.every hundred. As set forth in the former embodiment, such alternatingsetting of the cash enables alternate feeding of different kinds ofbills for a uniform supply and a shorter feeding period.

At S36, the main control section 230 performs a set bill number inputprocess as shown in FIG. 34. Namely, the user selects kinds of bills(one thousand yen bill, five thousands yen bill, one thousand yen bill,cancel, end), enters the set number for each kind of bill. When nocorrection is commanded, the entered number is written in the memory 231for saving. On the other hand, when a cancel command is entered throughthe key input section 28, the memory 231 is cleared. On the other hand,when an end command is entered through the key input section 28, thebill number data in the memory 231 is displayed on the display section27 for confirmation. In this condition, when a cancel command is enteredthrough the key input section 28, the process returns to selection ofthe kinds of bills for re-entry of the bill numbers. On the other hand,if confirmation is entered, the process is terminated.

Then, the main control section 230 writes in the personnel card data,the P.I.N., performed process information (withdrawn bill number, setbill number, process date and time and so forth in the memory 231 forsaving as the historic data of the process.

In the shown embodiment, since the unlocking of the electromagnetic doorlock is performed with the entry of a correct or authorized P.I.N.,theft prevention can be assured.

In addition, at the same time as the above process, the user shouldregister the content of the process to the terminal controller 4a or thehost computer 4b through the cash handling apparatus 3, such as an ATM.

FIGS. 35 to 38 show another embodiment particularly adapted forre-filling cash for the cash safe during service hours.

Before discussion is given for the embodiment of FIGS. 35 to 38, a briefdiscussion will be given for the prior art system with reference to FIG.39 in order to facilitate an understanding of the advantages of thepresent invention.

As is clear from a comparison between FIG. 39 and FIG. 10, the onlydifference between the prior art bill recycle system and the billrecycle unit of the invention is presence and absence of the controlsection 300 in the construction.

It is a typical practice in the prior art that in filling the cash forrespective cash stackers 301a, 301b and 301c of the cash handlingapparatus the user sets the cash safe 2 in the bill recycle unit 30 of aconventional cash handling apparatus. The cash handling apparatusdetects setting of the cash safe to transfer the bills to respectivecorresponding stackers 301a, 301b and 301c. Counting for the left cashin the cash safe 2 is simultaneously performed.

Through this process, set bill kinds and set number of bills of eachkind and the remaining cash amount in the cash safe are made clear.Also, during this process, the historic data is printed out.

After completing all processes, the cash handling apparatus, such as anATM, is on stand-by for waiting for a service for the customer.Therefore, such cash handling apparatuses become available for service.

In such prior art systems, since re-filling of stackers, bill countingare performed after setting the cash safe and the printing operation issubsequently performed, the process is very time intensive. Long processperiod results in a long wait for the customer when necessity ofre-filling of the cash handling apparatus occurs during service hours.This clearly degrades service.

Furthermore, once the re-filling process is initiated, the responsibleuser should stay at the cash handling apparatus until the process iscompleted. This causes substantial work load on the personnel of thefinancial institute and so forth.

Such problems in the prior art can be resolved by the embodiment ofFIGS. 35 to 38. Discussion is now prorated for the embodiment of thecash re-filling process according to the invention. FIG. 35 showsgeneral construction of the cash handling apparatus which can implementthe preferred cash re-filling process.

In FIG. 35, the cash safe 2 is detachably installed in the bill recycleunit 30 in the cash handling apparatus 3 which performs a cashdispensing operation. The cash handling apparatus 3 also includes thecontrol section 34 for controlling the bill recycle unit 30. Thestackers 301 in the bill recycle unit 6 is fed the corresponding kindsof bills from the cash safe 2. The control section 34 is input thenumber of bills stored in the cash safe and controls feeding of the billto the stacker 301 from the cash safe 2 so that a preset minimumre-filling amount of bills set for the stackers, are filled in thestackers.

In the shown embodiment, it is possible that the control section 34detects that the amount of bills in one of the stackers is greater thanthe preset minimum re-filling amount and neglects re-filling saidstacker.

FIG. 36 briefly shows the process to be performed in the shownembodiment. As can be seen, in the shown embodiment, the control section34 checks the condition of the stackers and the cash safe for selectinga re-filling process. When more than one stacker has fewer bills thanthe preset minimum re-filling amount, a re-filling process is performedfor feeding the corresponding kinds of bills until the amount of billsin respective stackers reaches the preset minimum re-filling amount.When the available service does not include the dispensing of cash, thecontrol section 34 sets no dispensing service and does not performre-filling. On the other hand, when a single kind of bill is present inthe cash safe, the control section 34 does not initiate a re-fillingprocess and performs a dispensing service directly from the cash safe.

Further details of the re-filling operation will be discussed herebelowwith reference to FIGS. 37 and 38.

At S41, from the host computer 4b, opening of the terminal is commandedto the cash handling apparatus 3, such as an ATM. Also, the kind ofservices to be performed and minimum re-filling amount are given fromthe host computer 4b to the cash handling apparatus 3. Then the cashhandling apparatus 3 initiates the operation.

When the cash safe 2 is set in the bill recycle unit 30 of the cashhandling apparatus 3, the sensor 306a detects the presence of the cashsafe 2. The control section 300 reads out the cash safe information(e.g. bill amount stored in the cash safe and so forth) from the memory231 of the cash safe and transfers the read out information to thecontrol section 34.

At S42, the control section 34 performs a normal cash filling andcounting process when the cash amount data is not set in the cash safeinformation in the memory section 231, and subsequently place the cashhandling apparatus at a ready state for services at S44 of FIG. 38.

At S43, on the other hand, when the bill amount data is already set inthe cash safe information in the memory 231, the control section 34checks the commanded kinds of services to determine whether thecommanded services include a cash dispensing service. When the commandedservices do not include the cash dispensing service (e.g. only cashreceiving and entry for the bankbook), the control section 34 does notperform filling and counting and places the cash handling apparatus 3 ina state ready for service at S44 of FIG. 38.

When the cash dispensing service is included in the commanded services,the control section 34 checks the amounts of bills in respectivemanaging stackers to determine whether the amounts of bills inrespective stackers are greater than the minimum re-filling amount. Whenall stackers have amounts of bills greater than the minimum re-fillingamount, the control section 34 does not perform a filling and countingprocess and places the cash handling apparatus 3 in a state ready forservice at S44 of FIG. 38.

When the amount of bills in the stacker is less than the minimumre-filling amount, the control section 34 checks the bill number data ofthe cash safe 2 for checking the kinds of bills stored in the cash safe2. When only one kind of bill is stored in the cash safe 2, the controlsection 34 does not perform a cash filling and counting and places thecash handling apparatus 3 in a state ready for service at S44 of FIG.38.

On the other hand, when the cash safe contains more than one kind ofbill, the control section 34 performs a filling operation to thestackers 301a, 301b and 301c from the cash safe 2 for the minimumamount. Thereafter, the control section 34 places the cash handlingapparatus 3 at a ready state for services at S44 of FIG. 38. At thistime, as set forth in the former embodiments, by setting different kindsof bills in an alternating fashion, cash filling can be done efficientlyby shortening the required period for filling.

At 44 of FIG. 38, the control section 34 is then ready for services. Inthis condition, a service menu is displayed on the display screen andselection of services and insertion of the customer's card or bankbookis expected.

At S45, the control section 34 checks the amount of bills in each of themanaging stackers and thus determines whether filling with the standardamount of bills is necessary or not.

At S46, when the control section 34 determines that it is necessary tofill the stackers with the standard bill amount thereof, the controlsection 34 controls the bill recycle unit 30 to a fill the stackers upto the standard bill amount. During this period, a check is performed todetermine whether an entry is made by the customer. If so, the processis advanced to S48.

On the other hand, when there is no entry by the customer, a check isperformed to determine whether completion of the filling process isnoticed from the bill recycle unit 30. If not yet completed, filling ofthe cash up to the standard bill amount is continued, and otherwise, theprocess is terminated to return the process to S45.

At S47, when it is determined that filling of cash up to the standardbill amount is unnecessary at S45, the control section 34 checks theentry of the customer. If no customer entry is made, the process returnsto S44. On the other hand, when the entry of the customer is detected,the process is advanced to S49 for performing demanded services.

At S48, when entry by the customer is detected at S46, the controlsection 34 checks whether the cash dealing process is required for theservice selected by the customer. When the demanded service requirescash dealing, such as dispensing of cash, receiving of cash orperforming a transfer, the filling of cash is terminated and the processis advanced to S49 for performing demanded services. On the other hand,when the demanded service does not require cash dealing, such as accountcheck printing in the bankbook, the cash filling operation is continuedand the process is advanced to S49.

Once the control section 34 completes the service process demanded bythe customer, e,g. account check, printing of bankbook, dispensing cash,receiving cash, transferring, the process for services is terminated byreturning to S44.

As set forth above, when entry for the bill amount in the cash safe 2 isperformed and when the cash dispensing service is not included in thecommanded services, filling of the stacker from the cash safe 2 is notperformed. Therefore, the cash handling apparatus 3 is instantly put ina ready state for service. During the ready state, filling of thestacker from the cash safe is performed to make the cash handlingapparatus available for cash dispensing service.

On the other hand, when the bills stored in the cash safe 2 are only ofone kind, filling of the stacker by feeding the bills from the cash safeinstantly make the cash handling system ready for services. In suchcases, the cash dispensing service is performed directly from the cashsafe 2.

Furthermore, when the cash safe contains more than one kind of bill, thefilling of stackers is performed for the minimum re-filling amount andimmediately thereafter the cash handling apparatus is ready forservices.

In the alternative embodiment, entry of the bill amount data for thecash handling apparatus 3 is not necessarily read out from the memory231 of the cash safe 2, but can be performed by directly inputting thecash handling apparatus 3 by key entry, by key entry through the cashsafe 2 or by transmission of the data from the host computer 4b.

As can be appreciated from the discussion given hereabove, the preferredprocess of filling the stackers in the bill recycle unit does notrequire a counting process for the bill amount in the cash safe 2, onlya necessary minimum amount of bills are filled. This shortens the periodrequired for filling the stackers so as to place the cash handlingapparatus in the ready state for services earlier thereby enhancingservices. Furthermore, by shortening the process period required forre-filling stackers, the work load for personnel can also be reduced.

FIGS. 40 to 48 show a further embodiment of the cash handling apparatusadapted for efficiently handling cash inadvertently left in theapparatus by the customer. Hereafter, the inadvertently left cash by thecustomer will be referred to as "left cash". Said function is providedeven in the currently available cash handling apparatus and operatessatisfactory in terms of assuring storage of the left cash withidentification of the customer who left the cash. In the prior art, itis a typical practice to store the left cash separately from other cashso that the left cash is transferred from the cash dispensing andreceiving section 305 to the left cash safe 22 in the cash safe 2through the discriminating section 302. When cash is left in the cashhandling apparatus, the dummy card stacker 308 feeds one dummy card as aseparator for respective left cash. The dummy card is thus insertedbetween the left cash for separating formerly left cash. At the sametime, information is printed on the journal for identification of thecustomer who left the cash.

When the customer appears to recover the left cash, the left cash safe22 is checked for picking up the left cash left by the customer and thejournal is checked to confirm left cash and the identification of thecustomer. Said process is time intensive requiring the customer to waitfor a long period. Also, such time intensive work should increase thework load of the personnel of the banking service.

Such problems in the prior art can be solved by the cash handlingapparatus 3 of FIGS. 40 to 48.

FIG. 40 briefly shows the general construction of the shown embodimentof the cash handling apparatus 3. The cash handling apparatus 3 includesthe cash safe 22 in the cash safe 2, which also includes a memorysection 231. The cash handling apparatus 3 includes a bill recycle unit30, in which the cash safe 2 including the left cash safe 22 is set. Thecontrol section 34 of the cash handling apparatus 3 operates theapparatus to store the left cash in the left cash safe 22 whenever cashis left in the apparatus. For quick and accurate confirmation of theidentity of the customer who left the cash, the memory section 231 ofthe cash safe 2 includes a left cash file for storing informationassociated with the left cash upon occurrence of left cash in theapparatus as shown in FIG. 41(A). Upon returning the left cash to thecustomer, the information in the memory section 231 can be accessed anddisplaced so that the customer can be easily and quickly identified, asshown in FIG. 41(B).

Further details of the process of handling the left cash will bediscussed herebelow with reference to FIGS. 42 to 48. FIG. 42 shows aprocess for handling left cash, and FIG. 43 explains informationassociated with the left cash.

At S51, the bill recycle unit 30 detects a predetermined period in whichthe dispensed cash is maintained within the cash dispensing andreceiving section 305 after dispensing the cash, to determine that thecash is left. Then, the bill recycle unit 30 feeds the left cash to theleft cash safe 22 of the cash safe 2 through the discriminating section302. Then, the left cash is stored in the left cash safe 22.Subsequently, the dummy card stacker 308 feeds one dummy card to theleft cash safe 22 to place the fed dummy card on the top bill of theleft cash as a separator for separating the particular left cash fromanother left cash, which may be fed from the bill recycle unit 30 at thesubsequent occurrence of left cash.

At S52, the control section 34 is responsive to the occurrence of leftcash in the cash handling apparatus 3 and performs an editing process ofleft cash information which includes stacked order number of theparticular left cash, customer information, e.g. card data, bankbookdata, account number and so forth, kind of done service, e.g.dispensing, receiving, transferring or so forth, amount on service, e.g.total amount, number of bills of each kind, slip number, service dateand time, dealing organization, e.g. bank name, branch name and soforth, service machine, left amount, e.g. total left amount, number ofbills of each kind, and so forth, as shown in FIG. 43. The controlsection 34 transfers such left cash information to the control section300 of the bill recycle unit 30. The control section 300 transmits thereceived information to the control section 23 of the cash safe 2 forwriting in the information associated with the left cash stored in theleft cash safe in the memory section 231 thereof.

FIG. 44 shows the process for handling the left cash and returning thesame to the customer for recovery. FIGS. 45 and 46 show one example of adisplay adapted for the process of returning the left cash. FIG. 47shows information associated with returning the left cash.

At S53, when the customer who left the cash appears and requests thereturn of the left cash, and if the relevant cash safe 2 is still in thecash handling apparatus 3, the user inserts the personnel card to thereader/writer section 33 of the cash handling apparatus so that theinformation on the personnel card is read out. On the other hand, whenthe relevant cash safe 2 has already been removed from the cash handlingapparatus 3, reading of the personnel card is performed by the cardreader 26 of the cash safe 2, or as an alternative, by the card readerof the terminal device to which the relevant cash safe 2 is connected.

At S54, when the cash safe 2 is maintained within the cash handlingapparatus 3, a left cash returning menu as shown in FIG. 45 is displayedon the color display screen of the customer accessible operating section32, or as an alternative, the menu as shown in FIG. 46 is displayed onthe liquid crystal display in the maintenance operation section 31. Ineither case, left cash information is selected and the customer card isinserted into the reader/writer section 33 of the cash handlingapparatus 3 for entering card information. Then, the control section 34performs a search against the information stored in the memory section231 of the cash safe 2 to display the left cash information on the colordisplay or the liquid crystal display as shown in FIG. 43.

The user confirms the left cash information and confirms the return ofleft cash by withdrawing the corresponding left cash from the left cashsafe 22. Subsequently, the user enters the stacked order number of thereturned cash and depresses a key to enter the fact that the left cashhas been returned.

At S55, when the cash safe 2 is not set in the cash handling apparatus3, similar left cash information is displayed on the terminal deviceconnected to the cash safe 2 or the display section 27 of the cash safe2. The personnel confirms the left cash information and the left cash tobe returned. Thereafter, the corresponding left cash is withdrawn fromthe left cash safe and returned to the customer. Subsequently, thepersonnel enters the stacked order number of the returned cash anddepresses a key to enter the fact that the left cash has been returned.

At S56, the control section or the main control section 230 of the cashsafe 2, or, as an alternative, the control section of the terminaldevice performs an editing process for the left cash returninginformation by adding the left cash return date and time, the processedpersonnel ID (content of personnel card) for the left cash information.The left cash returning information is then written in the returned leftcash file in the memory section 231 of the cash safe 2. Simultaneously,the left cash information associated with the returned left cash iscleared from the left cash file.

At S57, subsequently, the content of the returned left cash file in thememory section 231 of the cash safe 2 is printed on the journal of thecash handling apparatus 3 or by the terminal device to which the cashsafe is connected. Also, the content of the left cash file is written inthe file in the terminal device for back-up. Then, the content of thereturned left cash file in the memory section 231 is cleared.

It should be noted that when the cash safe 2 is removed from the cashhandling device 3 and not connected to the terminal device, the contentof the returned left cash file is maintained in the memory section 231of the cash safe 2.

When the customer who left the cash does not appear to recover the leftcash, the user occasionally withdraws all of the left cash in the leftcash safe 22 for storage in the main safe or so forth for returning tothe customer at a later time. Thereafter, all clear keys are depressedand subsequently the returning key is depressed. Then, the controlsection performs an editing operation for the returned left cashinformation by adding the return date and time, returning personnel ID.The returned left cash information is then written in the memory section231 of the cash safe 2 and the corresponding left cash information inthe left cash file is cleared.

FIG. 48 shows another process for handling the left cash. In the formerembodiment, a search for the left cash file in the memory section 231 isperformed utilizing the customer card. Conversely, the shown embodimentallows access to the relevant left cash information in the left cashfile such as customer's name, secret code, service amount, dealing dateand time.

Namely, in this embodiment, at process S54 and S55, the left cashinformation search menu is displayed for selection of entering item, andsubsequently switches the display for entry of the selected item. Inresponse to the entry of the selected item of information, a searchagainst the left cash file of the memory section 231 can be performed.

In the alternative embodiment, the information used for searching theleft cash file can be the bankbook data in replace of the customer carddata. It should be further noted that although the memory section 231 isprovided in the cash safe in the shown embodiment, the correspondingmemory section may be provided in the bill recycle unit 30 or thecontrol section 34.

As can be appreciated herefrom, all of the objects and advantages soughtfor the present invention can be fulfilled.

While the present invention has been discussed in detail in terms of thepreferred embodiment, the invention should not be interpreted to thespecific construction, arrangement or processes set forth above. Thediscussion for the preferred embodiment should be appreciated as mereexamples for practical implementation of the present invention.Therefore, the present invention should include all possible variations,modifications and changes that can be done without departing from theprinciple of the invention set out in the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A method for managing a cash safe in a cash handlingapparatus comprising:inputting available apparatus informationrepresenting at least one of a plurality of cash handling apparatuswhich can use the cash safe through an operator input section of thecash safe; storing the available apparatus information in a memory inthe cash safe; reading out the available apparatus information from thememory of said cash safe upon placement of the cash safe in the cashhandling apparatus; checking whether the cash safe set in the cashhandling apparatus is available for use; permitting use of the cash safeupon availability; and inhibiting use of the cash safe uponunavailability of the cash safe for use, wherein the available apparatusinformation which is input can be set to an open setting by theoperator, so that the cash safe can be used with more than one of theplurality of cash handling apparatus.
 2. The method for managing a cashsafe in a cash handling apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein whenthe available apparatus information contains information of more thanone available apparatus, the apparatus information of the cash handlingapparatus, in which the cash safe is set, is written in the memory ofthe cash safe set in the cash handling apparatus after checking the cashhandling apparatus.
 3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein theavailable apparatus information is read out from the memory of the cashsafe when a cash counting checking process for the cash safe isperformed.
 4. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the read outavailable apparatus information is displayed on a display section of thecash safe.
 5. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the cash safeis connected to a cash processing apparatus and the read out availableapparatus information is input to the cash processing apparatus.
 6. Themethod as set forth in claim 5, wherein the cash processing apparatusfeeds out the cash in the cash safe for counting.